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CNN —Scientists have discovered that female snakes have a clitoris — a previously overlooked or dismissed part of their anatomy (and that of many other animals), according to a new study. Female genitalia is not an easy subject to bring up sometimes and I think people were happy saying ‘it doesn’t exist. Folwell decided to investigate the female genitalia of snakes after noticing that very little research had been done on the topic. Studies of female genitalia in the animal kingdom are relatively sparse because of an “overwhelming focus on male genitalia,” according to the study. Last year, Patricia Brennan, an associate professor of biological sciences at Mount Holyoke College and coauthor on the new snake study, revealed dolphins also have functional clitoris.

☆ Whales can have an important but overlooked role in tackling the climate crisis, researchers say
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Much like the ocean, soil and forests, whales can help save humanity from the accelerating climate crisis by sequestering and storing planet-heating carbon emissions, researchers say. In a paper published Thursday in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, climate researchers suggest that whales are important, but often overlooked, carbon sinks. As the need grows for nature-based solutions such as tree planting to help solve the climate crisis, Pearson said it is important to understand the ability of whales to trap carbon. “You can think of protecting whales as a low risk and low regret strategy, because there’s really no downside,” Pearson told CNN. But there remain big gaps in knowledge to fully determine how whale carbon should be used in climate mitigation policies.

☆ An unexpected force may be speeding up glacier melt across the globe: colorful algae blooms
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

Now he sees bright pink and red algae blooms every year. Dr. Matt DaveyScientists like Maréchal think these algae blooms are getting larger and more frequent as rising global temperatures melt glaciers worldwide. Glacier algae seems to be booming, but scientists have a lot to learnResearcher Matt Davey samples snow algae at Lagoon Island, Antarctica. Ice algae and snow algae are different types of microorganisms, and different fields of study, but they both affect glaciers. A strip of "blood snow" filled with red algae cuts across a dark bloom of purple algae in Greenland.

☆ Plesiosaur: Fossil hunters in Australia discover 100 million-year-old skeleton
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Kathleen Magramo | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

CNN —The discovery of a giant 100 million-year-old marine reptile’s skeleton in Australia has been hailed by researchers as a breakthrough that may provide vital clues about prehistoric life. The skull of the 100 million-year-old plesiosaur found in Queensland, Australia. Queensland MuseumIt’s the latest big discovery about prehistory to have been made in Australia in recent years. In June last year, scientists confirmed that the 2007 discovery of a fossilized skeleton in Queensland was the country’s largest dinosaur. Two months later, scientists discovered that there once was a species of flying “dragon” that soared over Australia 105 million years ago.

☆ 'Mind-control' parasites make wolves likelier to be pack leader
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —Wolves are pack animals, living in family groups led by a matriarch and her mate. Researchers found that gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park infected with a parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii were more likely to leave the group of wolves they were born into or become a pack leader. Kira Cassidy/NPSRisky behavior of infected animalsScientists have been monitoring wolves in Yellowstone National Park since the species was reintroduced there in 1995. Pack behavior is observed via trail cameras and plane flyovers, and about a quarter of the wolves wear radio tracking collars and undergo blood tests. “The more we learn about wolf behavior, the better we can understand how to conserve the species,” she said.

☆ China calls for ambitious, pragmatic biodiversity deal
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Nov 28 (Reuters) - China will lead talks to secure an "ambitious and pragmatic" new global pact to preserve biodiversity at a U.N. meeting that begins next week, but implementing the deal remains the biggest challenge, Chinese officials said on Monday. Zhou Guomei, head of the international department of the environment ministry, told reporters that negotiations so far had not been "plain sailing" but focused on an ambitious deal that was "also pragmatic, balanced, feasible and achievable". A previous biodiversity pact signed in Aichi, Japan, in 2010, set 20 targets to try to slow biodiversity loss by 2020. Countries need to "fully consider" the attainability of any new targets, said Cui Shuhong, head of the ministry's natural ecology department. "We should learn fully from the experience and lessons during the implementation of the Aichi targets, not only to boost the ambition and confidence in global biodiversity conservation, but also to be down-to-earth and realistic," he added.

☆ Tom Stoppard Fears the Virus of Antisemitism Has Been Reactivated
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( David Marchese | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +19 min

I don’t think that it’s an equal participant in some kind of debate. I don’t think so. If you’re sitting there enjoying the structure, then I don’t think that’s entirely good news for the writer. I don’t know that I would actually pursue the subject as a playwright. You know, I’m told there is such a thing as the long view.

☆ Yep, rats can move in under your hood. Here's how to protect your car and avoid a huge repair bill
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Rats are taking refuge in cars, chewing through wires and leaving owners with big repair bills. There are three things you can do to help prevent rats from living under the hood of your car. Do not park above or near storm drain basins or openings to sewers – Norway rats are called sewer rats for a reason. One woman told The Times that a rat chewed through a sensor wire in her car, which cost $700 to fix. "What they're doing is inadvertently attracting rats or other rodents onto the property," he said.

☆ World’s heaviest flying bird uses plants to self-medicate, scientists say
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Hafsa Khalil | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution scientific journal on Wednesday, the study reveals that the great bustards ate an abundance of corn poppies (Papaver rhoeas) and purple viper’s bugloss (Echium plantagineum). In humans, corn poppies have been used for their medicinal properties as a sedative and pain relief while purple viper’s bugloss can be toxic if consumed. Both plants were highly effective in killing or inhibiting the effects of the protozoa and nematodes, according to the study. The purple viper’s bugloss showed moderate defensive action against the fungi. “We normally associate self-medication in species like primates, so to see researchers studying endangered birds is brilliant,” Rose told CNN.

☆ Analysis: First U.S. coral insurance marks the rise of the reef brigades
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-21 | by ( Clare Baldwin | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

On Monday, the global 'Reef Brigades' plan came closer to reality when it bought an insurance policy on behalf of the state of Hawaii, the first U.S. coral insurance contract, which will provide funds for repair work, building on similar policies taken out in the Caribbean. Apart from being a precious nursery for fish, coral reefs that fringe developed coastlines can limit flooding by providing a barrier against ocean storm surges, meaning insurers have every interest in protecting them. For the premium of $110,000 in Hawaii's contract announced on Monday, that state will get up to $2 million of insurance protection for its coral reefs until the end of December 2023. Just offshore from some of the country's most famous Mayan ruins, local tourism businesses and the government bought an insurance policy to cover their share of the Mesoamerican Reef. Willis Towers Watson, which worked on the MAR Fund policy and the Hawaii policy, said it is actively working on a coral reef policy for Fiji, and policies for coral reef bleaching, run-off due to excessive rainfall, and lost fishing days due to climate change-induced storms.

☆ Exclusive: U.S. blocks more than 1,000 solar shipments over Chinese slave labor concerns
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-11 | by ( Nichola Groom | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Nov 11 (Reuters) - More than 1,000 shipments of solar energy components worth hundreds of millions of dollars have piled up at U.S. ports since June under a new law banning imports from China's Xinjiang region over concerns about slave labor, according to federal customs officials and industry sources. The agency would not reveal the manufacturers or confirm details about the quantity of solar equipment in the shipments, citing federal law that protects confidential trade secrets. But the companies have halted new shipments to the United States over concerns additional cargoes will also be detained, the industry sources said. The sources asked not to be named because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. CBP has previously said that it had detained about 1,700 shipments worth $516.3 million under UFLPA through September but has never before detailed how many of those shipments contained solar equipment.

☆ China is caught in a zero-Covid trap of its own making
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-02 | by ( Nectar Gan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

“The new political ecology also provided more incentive for local governments to impose more draconian Covid control measures,” Huang said. Chinese health officials maintain that changing tack now would risk a huge surge in infections and deaths that could overwhelm the country’s fragile health care system. Zhengzhou, a city of 12 million, imposed sweeping lockdown measures last month after identifying dozens of Covid-19 cases. On Wednesday, the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, where the Foxconn plant is located, announced new lockdown measures. As the winter approaches, experts warn that China could be hit by a new wave of infections – and a new cycle of draconian lockdowns.

☆ China urges rich world to shun 'empty slogans' ahead of climate talks
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

SHANGHAI, Oct 27 (Reuters) - Rich countries must move on from "empty slogans" when it comes to climate change and make progress in meeting funding commitments, a Chinese official said on Thursday ahead of a new round of global climate talks in Egypt next month. Rich countries pledged in 2009 to provide $100 billion a year by 2020 to help developing countries adapt to climate change, and Li said the delay in doing so has "seriously hindered" progress and damaged "mutual trust". Li urged countries to stop politicizing climate change, warning that the suppression of China's solar panel industry was hurting the global switch to clean energy. Li also described European plans to impose carbon tariffs on exports from China and elsewhere as "morally untenable". "We oppose any form of trade or technological barrier established in the name of climate change," he said.

☆ Florida teen wins competition by capturing 28 Burmese pythons
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-26 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

MIAMI — A 19-year-old South Florida man captured 28 Burmese pythons during a 10-day competition that was created to increase awareness about the threats the invasive snakes pose to the state’s ecology. Earlier this year, a team of biologists hauled in the heaviest Burmese python ever captured in Florida. A Burmese python is held during a safe capture demonstration on June 16, 2022, in Miami. Concepcion told the South Florida SunSentinel that he’s been hunting pythons for about five years, and typically looks for them at night because that’s when they’re on the move, seeking the warmth of roads. We are removing record numbers of pythons and we’re going to keep at it,” South Florida Water Management District Governing Board Member “Alligator Ron” Bergeron said in a news release.

Oakridge's air quality index was 487, in the hazardous category, according to the federal airnow.gov website. The air quality index measures a combination of ozone and particulate pollution in the air. In Oregon, smoke from numerous fires has been held close to the ground by a weather system, he said. Rain expected on Friday throughout the region was expected to aid firefighting efforts and improve air quality. The federal government's InciWeb wildfire information site shows more than two dozen wildfires currently burning in Washington and Oregon.

A German fishing vessel that sank during World War II has been leaking pollutants that are changing the surrounding marine environment in the North Sea, according to a new study. The 80-year-old shipwreck is the V-1302 John Mahn, a fishing trawler that was used as a German patrol boat in WWII. The pollutants found in samples from the ocean floor included various heavy metals, including nickel and copper. "Although we don't see these old shipwrecks, and many of us don't know where they are, they can still be polluting our marine ecosystem," Van Landuyt said in the statement. The V-1302 John Mahn research is part of an initiative called the North Sea Wrecks project, which is studying the seabeds around shipwrecks off the Belgian coast.

☆ Canada's drought-stricken British Columbia bracing for floods when rains return
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-13 | by ( Nia Williams | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Oct 13 (Reuters) - Canada's British Columbia province on Thursday warned residents to prepare for flooding when rains eventually return after a prolonged drought exacerbated by climate change that has raised concerns about long-term damage to ecosystems ranging from glaciers to salmon rivers. Vancouver, the largest city in British Columbia, received less than a sixth of its average rainfall in August and September and has received only 0.2 millimetres so far in October, according to Environment Canada. Salmon migrate from the ocean to rivers to spawn at this time of year, but this month social media pictures showed thousands of dead salmon in a dried-up stream in central British Columbia. While the dry fall is less damaging than the heat dome that engulfed British Columbia last summer, it is still not good for glaciers' long-term health, said Brian Menounos, a professor of geography at the University of Northern British Columbia. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Nia Williams in Revelstoke, British Columbia; Editing by Josie KaoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ India reintroduced 8 cheetahs after the big cats were wiped out 70 years ago — but some scientists say it's more of a PR stunt than a conservation effort
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-09 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Cheetahs are being reintroduced to India after being declared extinct in the country in 1952. The reintroduction effort is aimed at creating a viable population of wild cheetahs. Some experts are critical of the plan, saying it's more like a large "zoo" than a wild population. The reintroduction plan, which is estimated to cost about $11 million, aims to establish a viable, free-ranging population of cheetahs. "The cheetah is a magnificent animal, it's a big magnet for ecotourism," Jhala told National Geographic.

The incessant drumming of a woodpecker on a hollow tree can be an annoying distraction for anyone who has to listen to it. “When you study songbirds, hummingbirds and parrots, you find areas that control vocal learning express parvalbumin more than other parts of the brain,” Fuxjager said. Future studies will look for other similarities, such as if the patterns of woodpecker drumming are learned at an early age, like the singing of songbirds, he said. Fuxjager noted that there are more than 200 species of woodpecker around the world and that they inhabit every continent, except Australia. Scientists study the singing of songbirds — and possibly now the drumming of woodpeckers — because it has parallels to human speech.

☆ Fact Check-Viral video does not show crocodiles ‘invading’ a beach in Brazil, contrary to claims online
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

A video showing a riverbank full of caimans in the Pantanal region of Brazil has been misrepresented in viral social media posts, with users falsely claiming the clip shows crocodiles crowding a beach in the South American country, leading to panic among locals. Experts said the scene resembles caiman activity in the Pantanal region. More information about the climate conditions in the Pantanal region can be found (here) (here) (here). This clip does not show crocodiles “invading” a “beach” in Brazil. According to experts, the footage shows Yacare Caiman in the interior Pantanal region of Brazil, clustering near a river due to seasonal drought.

☆ Hazardous 'forever chemicals' are in our water, food, and air. Here are 6 simple ways to reduce exposure at home.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-17 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Hazardous "forever chemicals" called PFAS are contaminating drinking water, food, and air. It may be impossible to completely avoid PFAS, but there are a few simple ways to reduce your exposure. Even if you can't completely dodge PFAS, there are a few easy ways to reduce exposure in your daily life. A 2019 study found that people had lower PFAS levels in their blood after eating at home, and higher levels after eating fast food or at restaurants. A few types of water filters can diminish PFAS levels, though they may not completely remove the chemicals from the water.

☆ Who is Kenya's new President-elect William Ruto?
▼ + stars: | 2022-08-16 | by ( Stephanie Busari | Nimi Princewill | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

(CNN) William Ruto has emerged the winner of a tense and fiercely fought contest for Kenya's presidency, but who is the man who will lead east Africa's largest economy? Ruto, who has served as deputy president since 2013, pulled off a stunning defeat against his chief opponent, veteran politician Raila Odinga. "There were predictions that we won't get here, but ... we are here," Ruto declared in his victory speech on Monday. Odinga later doubled down, saying on Tuesday that, in his coalition's view, "there is neither a legally and validly declared winner nor a president-elect." Supporters of William Ruto, Kenya's President elect, celebrate in Eldoret on August 15, 2022.

☆ Everything you need to know about silovarchs — Russia's security elites — and the power they wield
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-10 | by ( Sam Tabahriti | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Russia's security elites are silovarchs, a term combining "oligarch" and "siloviki" ("people of force.") Analyst Hugo Crosthwaite said silovarchs are closer to President Vladimir Putin than oligarchs. According to Treisman, oligarchs do not hold a great deal of political influence, while silovarchs are more powerful. Table of Silovarchs Viktor Ivanov – former chair of the board for Almaz-Antei and Aeroflot – had a career in Soviet KGB and Russian FSB. Rashid Nurgaliev– former interior minister and deputy secretary of the Security Council – is Army General and worked for the FSB.

☆ 'If it blows up, it's cool': The far-out philosophy that explains why Elon Musk won't let a few baby sea turtles stop SpaceX's quest to get to Mars
▼ + stars: | 2022-04-05 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +25 min

In the case of Elon Musk v. Charismatic Megafauna, the agency intends to publish its final report in late April. Musk went on: "Either explicitly or implicitly some people seem to think that humans are a blight on the Earth's surface. Musk is talking about existential risk, the idea that something — an asteroid, a rogue artificial intelligence — might kill every human on Earth. And if you assume that future human minds will "mainly be implemented in computational hardware instead of biological neuronal wetware," as Bostrom does, you end up with a mind-boggling 1054 human lives. Musk has made the defense of "future life" his mission.

☆ Травы, которые активизируют наш мозг. Стоит приготовить чай хотя бы с одной из них
▼ + stars: | 2021-07-03 | by ( Mld Media Srl | ) noi.md time to read: 1 min

Гинкго билоба - улучшает способность мозга, улучшая периферический кровоток для лучшего использования кислорода и глюкозы. Эта трава ускоряет передачу нервных сигналов и активирует органические соединения, которые ускоряют наш метаболизм! Циркуляция энергии увеличивается во много раз! Сибирский женьшень питает надпочечники и гипофиз, повышает способность организма справляться со стрессом. Немаловажно, что он повышает концентрацию.

Persons: Гинкго

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